Office-indicator.



Patented July 30, I90l. L. KENNEDY &. H. A. BURKHART.

OFFICE INDIGATUR.-

(Application filed Feb. 11, 1901.)

(In Model.)

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UNinD STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LEANDER KENNEDY AND HENRY A. BURKHART, OF FITZGERALD, GEORGIA.

OFFICE-INDICATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 679,462, dated July 30, 1901.

Application filed February 11, 1901. Serial No. 46,880- (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, LEANDER KENNEDY and HENRY A. BURKHART, citizens of the United States, residing at Fitzgerald, in the county of Irwin and State of Georgia, have invented a new and useful Office-Indicator, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to indicators, and has for its object to provide an improved device of this character which is especially adapted for use as an office-indicator to advise callers as to the whereabouts of the occupant of the office or the time of his return. It is furthermore designed to arrange the device for conveniently mounting the same in a conspicuous place and also to provide for the adjustment of the indicator to adapt the device to the circumstances governing the movements of the owner thereof.

'With these and other objects in view the present invention consists in the combination and arrangement of parts, as will be hereinafter more fully described, shown in the accompanying drawings, and particularly pointed out in the appended claims, it being understood that changes in the form, proportion, size, and minor details may be made within the scope of the claims without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of an office-indicator constructed in accordance with the present invention. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal central sectional view thereof. Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view. Fig. 4 is a detail sectional view taken through the adjacent ends of the rotatable indicatordrums to show the interlocking connection therebetween. Fig. 5 is a detail sectional View taken on the line 5 5 of Fig. 2.

Like characters of reference designate corresponding parts in all of the figures of the drawings.

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates a cylindrical or tubular casing for the housing of the movable parts of the indicator and provided with a closed end 2 and an opposite open end, which is normally closed by means of a removable cap 3, having a central opening 4 and an inner laterally-projected sleeve 5, surrounding the opening. At the closed end of the casing there is provided a marginal flange 6, and a corresponding flange 7 is provided at the opposite end of the casing by means of the rim of the cap that embraces the casing. In the front of the casing there is provided a comparatively long longitudi nal slot or opening 8,that terminates short of the open end thereof, and then a shorter slot 9 is formed between the former slot and the said open end of the casing. These slots have the respective glass covers 10 and 11, so as to exclude dust and foreign matter from the interior of the casing. For the support of this casing there are provided two duplicate brackets, one at each end of the casing and each comprising two members having the corresponding flat shank portions 12 and 13, which lie in mutual engagement one in front of the other and provided with corresponding perforations 14 for the reception of fastenings to connect the bracket to a door or other suitable support. The upper end of the front shank is bowed laterally downward and forward, so as to form a concaved seat 15 for the reception of the lower side of the cylinder, while the upper end of the rear shank is bowed upwardly and forwardly, so as to form an overhanging arm 16 to embrace the upper side of the casing, the outer ends of the seat and the arm terminating at or short of the respective longitudinal edges of the adjacent slot, so that the latter may be unobstructed. As best indicated in Fig. 1 of the drawings, it will be seen that the brackets are placed in contact with the inner edges of the respective terminal flanges of the casing, so as to prevent endwise displacement thereof from the brackets.

Within the cylindrical casing are mounted the rotatable indicator-drums 17 and 18, of which the longer is the inner drum and cooperates with the long slot to expose the information provided upon the outer margin of the drum. An axial fixed spindle 19 projects from the fixed end of the casing and terminates substantially flush with the outer side of the removable cap, the outer end of the spindle being received within the sleeve 5 of the cap. The drums are slid inwardly through the open end of the casing and rotate freely upon the spindle. The adjacent end faces of the drums are designed to be separated by a slight space, so that they may be independontly rotated, and this separation is had by means of an annular spacing-collar 20, carried by the larger drum and surrounding the axial opening therein. Upon the outer margin of the larger drum there is printed or otherwise applied a series of words or phrases to indicate the whereabouts of the owner and also, as shown in Fig. 1, for instance, the expression Will return displayed through the long slot in the casing, and the smaller drum is provided with characters designating time-as, for instance, 1 P. M.whereby it is clear that the owner or occupant of the ofiice will return at one oclock p'. m. It will of course be understood that the larger drum will contain such information as may be necessary in view of the habits or circumstances surrounding the owner of the indicator, and the time-drum will be arranged accordingly.

For the manipulation of the smaller drum to bring different portions of the periphery thereof to view through the slot in the casing there is provided a key 21, having a cylindrical shank to fit within the opening in the 'cap of the casing and provided with an axial bore, as shown in Fig. 5, to receive the outer end of the spindle 19, there being diametrically opposite lugs or projections 22 upon the inner end of the key. The outer end of the smaller time-drum is provided with a central hollow boss 23, surrounding the axial bore thereof and the spindle, there being diametrically opposite notches 24 formed in the outer end of the boss for the reception of the lugs of the key, so that by turning the latter the smaller drum may be rotated in turn. To also rotate the inner and larger drum, there is provided an adjustable interlocking engagement between the two drums by means of the studs or shoulders 25 and 26, projected from the respective adjacent end faces of the drums and arranged at equal distances from the spindle, so that the smaller drum may make a complete rotation in opposite directions without affecting the larger drum; but at the completion of a rotation in one direction the studs or shoulders will come into mutual contact, so that a further rotation of the smaller drum will interlock both drums and they will then rotate in the same direction under the manipulation of the one key. When the larger drum has been set to the desired place, the smaller drum may then be rotated in the opposite direction independently of the larger drum, so as to bring the desired time characters to View through the slot in the casing. It will be understood that the key does not normally remain upon the indicator, as it is designed to be used to adjust the device only, whereby it is impos sible to change the device after it has been set except by the use of the key expressly provided therefor. Suitable friction-springs 27 and 28 are carried by the inner side of the casing to bear against the marginal edges of the respective drums, so as to hold the same steady after being set and to prevent rotation of the inner drum when the time-drum is being rotated backwardly.

It will be observed that the tubular boss 23 fits rotatably in the opening in the cover, and thereby forms a brace for the outer free end of the spindle.

What is claimed is 1.-An indicator comprising a casing, havingan open end, an axial spindle carried by the closed end of the casing, a removable cover for the open end of the casing and provided with an opening in line with the adjacent free end of the spindle, a rotatable indicating device mounted upon the spindle, and having its outer end provided with a tubular boss embracing the spindle and projected into the opening in the removable cover, whereby a brace is formed for the free end of the spindle, and a normally-detached operating key constructed for insertion through the openings in the cover and for engagement with the outer end of the tubular boss for rotation of the indicating device in opposite directions.

2. A device of the class described, comprising a casing having a longitudinal slot and an opening in one end thereof, a pair of rotatable indicators mounted within the casing and in axial alinement with the opening in the end of the casing, and provided with means for interlocking the same for simultaneous rotation in one direction and permitting of an independent opposite rotation of the indicator which is next to the terminal opening of the casing, the outer end of the latter indicator having one or more key notches formed therein and exposed by the opening in the casing, and a removable key constructed for insertion through the opening, and having one or more projections to register with the key-notches of the indicator.

3. In a device of the class described, the combination with a cylindrical casing, hav ing a longitudinal slot, and a removable ter minal cap provided with a central opening, of an axial spindle fixedly projected from the closed end of the casing and having its opposite free end within or adjacent to the opening in the cap, an inner information-drum rotatably mounted upon the spindle and inserted through the open end of the casing, an outer time-drum also rotatably mounted upon the spindle, one of the adjacent end faces of the drums having a spacing-collar to separate the two drums,corresponding overlapped projections carried by the adjacent ends of the drums, and constructed for mutual engagement to interlock the drums for simultaneous rotation in one direction, and per mitting of the opposite independent rotation of the outer time-drum, the outer end of the latter having a tubular boss surrounding the spindle and provided with notches in its enter our own we have hereto fixed our signatures end, and a removable rotatable key for inin the presence of two Witnesses.

sertion through the opening in the casing, LEANDER KENNEDY.

and having an axial bore for the reception of HENRY A. BURKHART. 5 the outer end of the spindle, and projections Witnesses:

to enter the notches of the tubular boss. 0. B. LEE,

In testimony that we claim the foregoing as E. WV. RYMAN. 

